There's no need for the law to get involved here. You can buy cell phones from many many sources.
You don't seem to understand the problem. Let's say you signed up for service with Metro by T-Mobile after you saw they were running a holiday promotion like the current one for a 2020 iPhone SE for $49.99.
Imagine for a moment that there isn't a worldwide coronavirus pandemic and we're free to travel. You decide you want to travel outside of the U.S. to visit family and friends for the holidays or you need to travel outside of the U.S. for business in the new year. You'd probably want to take your phone wit
You do know that iPhone doesn't really cost $49.99? More like $400. Maybe more, because there could still be some hidden subsidies. So your cheap iPhone is being subsidized by a long term contract. And the locking thing is just to keep you from picking up a $49.99 iPhone, dropping your service and switching to another carrier. Or maybe even travel outside the USA where they will not likely be able to enforce the service contract terms. Life's a bitch when everyone doesn't give you cheap/free stuff.
How about you pay retail price for that iPhone? And then you are free to take it where you want. Or if $400 is too much, you could always buy a $50 flip phone. Allowing phone locking just lets carriers sell phones on contracts. Outlawing it removes that option for many people. So it will be the $400 iPhone or the $50 flip phone. No other options.
A good compromise would be to require the terms of a subsidized phone be divulged to the customer, mandatory unlocking be required at the end of the purchase contract and all carriers be required to provide service to system compatible, unlocked phones.
You do know that iPhone doesn't really cost $49.99? More like $400.
You do realise that if you buy on a contract, you are still tied to the contract, even if you take the phone to another planet or it is eaten by werewolves. The point of locking is to destroy the send hand value so the phone goes to land fill, and more people end up buying new phones.
The way it works here is that the contract includes the itemized cost and such. I signed a 2 year contract the clearly stated the hardware cost $300 to be paid in 24 $12.50 payments and I could break the contract at any time by paying off the balance. The hardware was unlocked as the law calls for here. Like any bill, I could have refused to pay it and had bill collectors phoning and it entered on my credit rating.
Here (Canada), you can pay cash upfront and not need to give your name or sign a contract, which is how I bought my current phone. Or sign a contract and have to show ID or perhaps a credit card, which is how I signed up for my LTE internet thingy with the 24 easy $12.50 payments. They're also not allowed to charge interest, but they get around that by jacking up the price of the hardware. It's usually cheaper to pay cash upfront.
How about you pay retail price for that iPhone? And then you are free to take it where you want. Or if $400 is too much, you could always buy a $50 flip phone. Allowing phone locking just lets carriers sell phones on contracts. Outlawing it removes that option for many people. So it will be the $400 iPhone or the $50 flip phone. No other options.
In countries where unlocked is the norm and where telecoms providers are expected to accept any/all phones as serviceable for contracts, you can pick up perfectly good used iPhones for very cheap as they're ubiquitous. The original iPhone SE (for example) can be had for around £50 (equivalent to $65) on ebay in the UK and this comes with all the same OS and software support as the current iPhones on the market.
In the UK, providers use IMEI blacklisting to deter fraud as well as to provide theft pr
No need for a ban (Score:1)
There's no need for the law to get involved here. You can buy cell phones from many many sources.
Re: (Score:2)
There's no need for the law to get involved here. You can buy cell phones from many many sources.
You don't seem to understand the problem. Let's say you signed up for service with Metro by T-Mobile after you saw they were running a holiday promotion like the current one for a 2020 iPhone SE for $49.99.
Imagine for a moment that there isn't a worldwide coronavirus pandemic and we're free to travel. You decide you want to travel outside of the U.S. to visit family and friends for the holidays or you need to travel outside of the U.S. for business in the new year. You'd probably want to take your phone wit
Re:No need for a ban (Score:2)
a 2020 iPhone SE for $49.99
You do know that iPhone doesn't really cost $49.99? More like $400. Maybe more, because there could still be some hidden subsidies. So your cheap iPhone is being subsidized by a long term contract. And the locking thing is just to keep you from picking up a $49.99 iPhone, dropping your service and switching to another carrier. Or maybe even travel outside the USA where they will not likely be able to enforce the service contract terms. Life's a bitch when everyone doesn't give you cheap/free stuff.
How about you pay retail price for that iPhone? And then you are free to take it where you want. Or if $400 is too much, you could always buy a $50 flip phone. Allowing phone locking just lets carriers sell phones on contracts. Outlawing it removes that option for many people. So it will be the $400 iPhone or the $50 flip phone. No other options.
A good compromise would be to require the terms of a subsidized phone be divulged to the customer, mandatory unlocking be required at the end of the purchase contract and all carriers be required to provide service to system compatible, unlocked phones.
Re: (Score:2)
You do realise that if you buy on a contract, you are still tied to the contract, even if you take the phone to another planet or it is eaten by werewolves. The point of locking is to destroy the send hand value so the phone goes to land fill, and more people end up buying new phones.
Re: (Score:2)
you are still tied to the contract
Enforcement is a problem.
The point of locking is to destroy the [second] hand value
Require mandatory itemization of the phone loan in the carrier bill and once its paid, it has to be unlocked.
Re: (Score:2)
The way it works here is that the contract includes the itemized cost and such. I signed a 2 year contract the clearly stated the hardware cost $300 to be paid in 24 $12.50 payments and I could break the contract at any time by paying off the balance. The hardware was unlocked as the law calls for here.
Like any bill, I could have refused to pay it and had bill collectors phoning and it entered on my credit rating.
Re: (Score:2)
The hardware was unlocked as the law calls for here.
I don't know where 'here' is. But this is what we need in the USA.
Like any bill, I could have refused to pay it and had bill collectors phoning and it entered on my credit rating.
That's easy to dodge here in the USA. Just don't buy the phone in your name and use a prepaid card. Who's credit rating are they going to ding?
Re: (Score:2)
Here (Canada), you can pay cash upfront and not need to give your name or sign a contract, which is how I bought my current phone. Or sign a contract and have to show ID or perhaps a credit card, which is how I signed up for my LTE internet thingy with the 24 easy $12.50 payments.
They're also not allowed to charge interest, but they get around that by jacking up the price of the hardware. It's usually cheaper to pay cash upfront.
Re: (Score:2)
Here (Canada)
Well, you folks have healthcare too.
Re: (Score:2)
How about you pay retail price for that iPhone? And then you are free to take it where you want. Or if $400 is too much, you could always buy a $50 flip phone. Allowing phone locking just lets carriers sell phones on contracts. Outlawing it removes that option for many people. So it will be the $400 iPhone or the $50 flip phone. No other options.
In countries where unlocked is the norm and where telecoms providers are expected to accept any/all phones as serviceable for contracts, you can pick up perfectly good used iPhones for very cheap as they're ubiquitous. The original iPhone SE (for example) can be had for around £50 (equivalent to $65) on ebay in the UK and this comes with all the same OS and software support as the current iPhones on the market.
In the UK, providers use IMEI blacklisting to deter fraud as well as to provide theft pr